Supreme Court Declines R. Kelly's Appeal in Federal Sex Crimes Case

The U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear R. Kelly's appeal against his federal conviction for child pornography and sexual exploitation of minors. Kelly was sentenced to 20 years in prison in Chicago in 2022, with other convictions in New York leading to a 30-year concurrent sentence.

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to review former R&B superstar R. Kelly's 2022 federal conviction, which involved child pornography and the enticement of underage girls. This decision maintains the guilty verdict handed down by a Chicago federal jury in one of the two significant sex crime cases against Kelly.

In his Supreme Court filing, Kelly, now 57, argued that the charges were brought after the statute of limitations had expired. During the trial, witness testimony and video evidence revealed Kelly's abuse of several minors, including his goddaughter, dating back to the 1990s.

Kelly's convictions have resulted in a 20-year prison sentence, overlapping with an additional 30-year sentence from a New York trial. His current incarceration at a federal prison in Butner, North Carolina, sees a potential release in 2045, contingent on a denied appeal in Chicago's appellate court.

(With inputs from agencies.)